


Big Metal Suits are Right Up Tony's Ally

by kingofcriminals (strideer)



Series: Frost Bite [2]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Eventual Romance, M/M, Pacific Rim AU, angst in later chapters, fluff in later chapters, loki is kind of a dick, mostly frostiron, tony's pretty naive, who wants to fight monsters anyways
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-01
Updated: 2014-01-12
Packaged: 2018-01-07 00:36:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1113402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strideer/pseuds/kingofcriminals
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Piloting a Jaeger is the coolest fucking idea since that one attack in Afghanistan. Hell yeah, he'll do it. </p><p>And his co-pilot is one hunk, too.</p><p>(Holy shit, I love Pacific Rim, so I had to make something for my own AU. Probably dumb as hell, but I'll rewrite it later when I can think properly.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Introduction

The drift. The neural handshake. Whatever the hell you call it, Tony's hyped up for it. Of course he would be. He's a genius, for god's sake. The technology that resides in the Jaegers is absolutely fascinating to him. He's spent so much time marveling over the mechanics, the sheer magnitude, and the smallest details that all comprised the large robots. What really fascinates him is the fact that two people drive the massive bodies of steel through a neural link. He'd studied how it worked, but never really realized the fluency of the act.

He's assigned to his own Jaeger. Well, not entirely his own. He has a companion, whom he hasn't met as of yet. The Jaeger is named "Frost Giant" and he's been told that it's one of the newest projects; a newer model straight out of manufacturing. Tony's so fucking pumped for it that he's almost shaking when it comes time to meet his co-pilot. He's named after the God of Mischief, baring the name Loki. It's told that his name fits him well; he's lithe and lean and is talented when it comes to faking out enemies and tricking them into traps. That just makes the thought of sparring with him that much more exciting.

Tony's pretty good at sparing, himself. Mainly from his extensive amounts of time in Afghanistan when the war broke out. He's fairly strong, but most of his power lies in tactic, not brute strength. His body is lean and muscles are chiseled out of his chest and arms. In the center of his chest, a few deep scars preside from an attack when he was stationed in Afghanistan for the army. Other than the small blemish upon his skin, he's almost flawless, save small nicks and tiny scars from past skirmishes, but nothing too serious, he's clean kept, his body smelling of cologne nearly all the time, except directly after training or weight lifting. He figures he's a pretty good roommate, too, but he hasn't exactly asked the man who lives with him, a tall guy named Steve.

Tony makes his way down to the training bay, actually jittery about meeting his co-pilot. Loki. He has no idea what he looks like or what he acts like, but he's heard a lot about him. Not many friends, though. Just observers. His brother, a big brute named Thor, co-pilots with Tony's roommate, Steve. If his name didn't give it away, he really did show a hell of a lot of resemblance to the God of Thunder. He's tall and muscular and he's got this almost godly grace to him, though he only fights with brute strength. How the hell that made sense, Tony has no idea.

xxxxxx

Loki is everything that they told him he would. He's tall, lean and graceful, with sharp green eyes and long dark hair. He's got an apathetic expression most of the time, and it doesn't seem to move much, only when he smirks or scowls. He's stronger than he looks, Tony reflects as he brings the wooden rod against the other man's. He's lean, but his muscles are well utilized. Tony's thoughts rush with adrenaline as he ducks, dodges, and leaps to evade Loki's offensive attacks. They are fairly well aimed, but Tony can see right through him. Defense is a weak point and as Tony begins attacking, he snatches a few points before Loki lands a blow to his side.

He doesn't hit him hard, but he gasps anyways because he's startled. As their match rages on, it becomes easier and easier for him to feel his movements, to guess what he's about to do and soon he falls into step with Loki.  
"Come on, you can do better than that!" he taunts his opponent. Tony's pretty good at estimating, but fighting this new man comes effortless and they rack up points from each other in almost rapid succession. Loki's mask is gone, replaced with an expression of concentration and amusement, his lips pulling into a tiny smirk. Tony dodges his weapon, turning and attempting to tap his own to Loki's chin, only to be struck with a blow to the chest. 

The battle's becoming interesting, he decides. Loki's faking him out soon, moving one way and then darting the opposite, catching him off guard many a time. Tony slips up a few times, surprised by the sudden change in his tactics but continues to defend himself until the last possible moment. He lurches forward, only to have his feet swept out from under him and a wooden pole against his chest.  
"Time!" the director, Fury, calls. The other cadets in the training hall are a little quiet at first, but then begin to erupt into excited chattering and apparently a few had bet on Loki to win the training match. 

A pale hand is reached out to him and Tony takes it after a few seconds of hesitation. He's pulled swiftly to his feet, brown eyes meeting with sharp green as an amused smirk breaks his emotionless mask.  
"You are a worthy opponent, Stark. I understand why they deemed you the Man of Iron," Loki tells him. Tony's thrown off by the contrast of his voice and his face, but he gives a grin to the statement.  
"Why thanks, God o' Tricks. That was a pretty good fight. Wonder if Fury'll pair us," he says, brown eyes glittering with some child-like enthusiasm that makes Loki chuckle. It's a rich sound, resonating from deep within his chest.  
"Possibly. I'll see you again when the pairs are announced," he says, leaving the training arena soon after. Jesus christ, if anyone didn't have a hard on for him, they should.

xxxxxx

The day comes and goes with relative ease and Tony's looking forward to finding his co-pilot by lunch. They sit in their usual spots, Steve, Bruce, and Thor on one side of the table, and Tony, Clint, and Natasha on the other. Steve and Thor are partners, Clint and Natasha are as well. Bruce is a scientist working on the Jaegers, and Tony's the only one just now getting a drift partner. 

Steve talks to him about how amusing the fight was, Tony's expressions and all. The man nearly punches him in the arm, but laughs. Apparently, he'd been overly concentrated the whole time and Steve would know when he was concentrating too much. Well, he kind of was. On Loki's face. But, they didn't need to know that.  
"No, really," he says through a mouthful of food, "you had this look on your face like you were never going to think of anything ever again." Clint snorts, snickering as he takes a bite of a sandwich, chewing it and swallowing quickly so he can speak.  
"It actually looked like you had a crush on him," he teases.

"Oh, hell. I just met the guy, Bird Brain," he elbows the other male, laughing. Thor looks a little amused by the thought, giving this soft laugh as he picks at his food.  
"My brother is a trickster at heart, Man of Iron. He won't let you become friends with him, even if you drift with him," he says. Tony almost chokes on his food.  
"Are you trying to dissuade me from hooking up with him? Because dude, I wasn't really planning on it until Clint opened his mouth." His comment receives snickers from Steve and Clint. Natasha chuckles softly, remaining relatively quiet as she listens. 

Thor actually rolls his eyes at his comment, quick to down the rest of his drink.  
"Well, I suggest that you not expect much friendliness from him," he tells him. Just as Tony swallows another bite of food, the new pilot pairs are being announced. A few people are paired up, and Tony isn't surprised when he's paired with Loki. He fights down a grin, turning back to his meal. Steve catches the gentle smile that's peeking from his lips.  
"I think one of our boys has a man crush," he teases. No one's very surprised when Tony playfully tosses a piece of a sandwich at his head.


	2. (Almost) Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki isn't so sure that he should allow himself to get to know Tony, just in case something may happen to one of them in the field.

The first drift is always a bitch. Or, that's what he's heard. Tony's actually really apprehensive about it when the time comes. Loki's already ready, waiting for him as they prepare for the drop. That sounds like a bitch, too. Loki isn't one to talk throughout any of it, only to redirect Tony into the correct places. Being a rookie, he doesn't really know his way into a Jaeger. Boy, he understated the drop, though. Being dropped from one metal device into another can rattle your bones. Once situated, his finds himself looking about the Jaeger's cockpit, marveling over the machinery that's all over the interior. He grins in spite of himself, causing Loki to scoff a little as he prepares himself.

"Hello, boys. I see you're ready, Mr. Stark," a familiar voice chats to them over the intercom. Pepper Potts. Who could have been better to be their communications officer?  
"Pretty damn excited today, Pep. First drift jitters," Tony replies, his grin spread all the way across his face. Loki looks over, nearly rolls his eyes, and stretches a few times, obviously getting loosened up for the trial run.  
"It's not going to be a walk in the park like Afghanistan, Tony," Pepper warns.  
"Do you think I would have signed up if it was?" Tony replies, almost amused.  
"Alright, cut the chatter," Fury's voice interrupts, "initiate neural handshake." 

Loki's already preparing, his expression stern and focused and soon Tony gets a tad worried about the outcome of the drift. What if they weren't compatible after all and Tony didn't-  
"Roger that, sir," Pepper's voice cuts him off. Boy, was he right when he said the first drift was a bitch. He gasps on instinct and nearly collapses out of the sheer magnitude of the memories. Flashes of his own, then tinged with some that weren't his. His days in Afghanistan are the strongest and then there's a few views of Loki's childhood and adolescence. The memories don't stay long enough for him to register and he's snapped back to reality, a little more than dazed. His thoughts run together with his co-pilot's and he can actually hear Loki's mental scoff over his reactions.  
"Left hemisphere calibrated."  
"Right hemisphere calibrated."

Pepper's voice comes through and Tony's nearly shuddering with the sheer experience of being linked to another mind, hearing another's voice inside his own head.  
"Alright, boys. It's show time," Pepper tells them. Suddenly, Tony's flexing his hands and he notices that Loki mirrors him simultaneously. It's thrilling and he gets excited, but Loki's stern voice cuts through his thoughts.  
"No fooling around, Stark. This is business. Consider this a trial run to see if you're worthy to be my co-pilot," he tells him in a taunting tone and Tony rolls his eyes.  
"Yeah, yeah, Rudolph. Just get ready, okay? I've got all the know-how from your brain. I just need a little experience," he responds as they begin taking their first steps. He can feel Loki's confidence and it runs bone deep, some of it seeping into himself. He shifts a little and soon everything seems easier than what he thought it would be.

\--

The next few times they run through training, it's easier and they get down to business easier. Talking is kept in their thoughts and they become more fluid with each other, almost becoming one entity in the cockpit. Tony begins to notice Loki's reluctance to actually know him outside of the Jaeger. But, Tony doesn't mind so much. It makes sense, really. Piloting a Jaeger is dangerous business and bonds would probably make everything more difficult if something happened to one of them. The ominous thought actually makes Tony shudder lightly and he shakes his head. It's one of the off days, where he actually has time to think. His back rests comfortably against the mattress beneath him, as it's getting lated he decided to wind down, and soon Steve is talking to him.

"Any idea when Frosty is going to warm up to you?" Steve asks, tossing a playful smile to Tony as he walks in and shuts the door to their little room. Tony rolls his eyes and sets down the book he had in his fingertips. It's one of Steve's, but it's not like the blonde actually cares that he reads them. He shifts into a sitting position and shrugs at the man.  
"Hell, I don't think he wants to. He doesn't seem like the type of guy to have a manly bonding session with," Tony explains. Steve takes a seat on the edge of his own bed, stretching a bit before one of those devilish smiles paints his lips. Oh man. It's one of _those_ smiles. Those smiles are only reserved for when Steve says something particularly dirty or maybe even offensive. Hell, whichever it was, Tony hopes it isn't the first.

"Maybe you should warm up his hands first to ease him into it. You know, maybe under your clothes?" Steve teases, his smirk growing a little bit as Tony chokes. Oh. Steve, _why_.  
"Dude, he's just my co-pilot," Tony gives in defense, forcing down an embarrassing blush that tried to force its way onto his cheeks. Steve erupts into laughter, except that his outburst doesn't last all too long before he's grinning at Tony as he lays on his side.  
"Oh, boy. You really think I didn't notice how excited you were when you were chosen to be his co-pilot? Boy, you were super revved up that night," Steve laughs. Tony hurtles a pillow at the blond as he laughs and shakes his head.  
"You hush. Lights out, knuckle head. I'll deal with you in the morning."

\--

Loki all but plops down on his bed, huffing a sigh of displeasure at how the bed creaks. He'd have to oil that sometime. The bed's warm anyways and he soon squirms beneath the blankets to keep warm. He tugs out the band keeping his hair tied up and lets it fall down, sighing gratefully as it relieves the pressure from the back of his head. He's even more grateful for the fact that the day's wound to an end and he finally has time to sleep. Stark had the day off, too, and just goofed around, he presumed. He'd seen him a few times in the hallway, but hadn't acknowledged his existence. Loki, however, had trained the majority of the day, like always, and then spent the rest meditating and reading before laying down across his bed.

It's at these times that he's glad that he'd been blessed with a room to himself, because the chatter of a roommate would have drove him insane if he had to deal with it at the moment. His thoughts soon drift back to Tony and everything about their newest companionship. He lets his mind's eye rove about his face; dark eyes, light facial hair, strong jaw. He's perfectly chiseled, with muscles jutting out just right on his arms and his skin pulled against his hip bones. He's certainly not bad looking. In fact, he might even say that he's handsome-.

No. _No_. Their relationship was only going to be through the Jaeger. Nothing more. Having a friend in him would mean devastation if they were to go into the field and something happen to them. Tony isn't the sort of man that he thinks he can be friends with, without developing some sort of attachment to. He doesn't need any more attachments that necessary. It makes life a lot easier when friends are few and lovers are fewer. He's maintained that philosophy ever since the incident in Washington. He shudders lightly at the thought, but his thoughts keep swirling around it anyways. Tony could be the one to break that philosophy, but he isn't about to let him without a little push. He doesn't want to let him in, but he knows it'll happen. It _will_ happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really sorry that this took so long to update! I'll try to get in more daily updates to this story! Hope you enjoy!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Loki are pretty good at fighting Kaijus and Tony gets Loki to open up a bit.

The water's heavy and hard to walk through and his muscles ache already. How they started to ache already, he actually has no idea. Loki has everything down and he's just so confident that Tony can hardly stand it. Their steps are as fast as they can manage and soon they're right at the place where they last saw the big brute they were going to kill. A Kaiju. The ocean swirls and gurgles around the Jaegar's legs and when the thing raises its ugly head, he knows it's going to be a little harder than he thought it would be to fight him.

The thing is massive, not quite as tall as Frost Giant, but big enough to cause him a small amount of panic. Loki's voice suddenly cuts through, pushing any thoughts of doubt down.  
"The secret to this taking it by surprise," is said through his head and his lips quirk into a smirk, confidence seeping into him.  
"Let's haul in a kill," Tony responds, following his steps and landing a swift blow to the Kaiju's chest, effectively pushing it back from them to put distance between them. Oh, now it's angry. Let the show begin.

It's peculiar how they feel pain through the system, but the thought doesn't stay with him long as the Kaiju rakes its claws along Frost Giant's front. He gasps slightly as a sting rushes him and an uppercut to its jaw brings it off kilter for a moment. Everything seems to slow down, but the moment doesn't last long before the monster throws a swing at Frost Giant's head, narrowly missing the control panel and the pilots inside. It's then when adrenaline fuels his system and he lashes out, knocking the Kaiju down before they grab its neck, effectively killing it with a swift turn of its head.

Tony's sweating a little, but Loki is untouched except for his breathing being slightly increased. He looks over towards him and nearly laughs, but Loki gives him a stern look that effectively tells him to _shut up_. The moment passes and they begin to trudge hone, reporting to Pepper their damages and telling her to rack up the kill count. It's their fifth kill so far, not much compared to other Jaegers, but hell, five in a row for a newbie is pretty good, considering that it's make a kill or die. Tony likes having five kills and being alive.

"You were lucky this time, Stark," he says, giving him a stern look with sharp, green eyes. Tony looks over at him once before focusing on their steps and getting back to shore.  
"If that was a category 3, we'd be dead," he warns, his voice filled with something like concern, but Tony pushes the thought out of his mind.   
"I know, I know. I'll train this weekend with Steve, okay? Trust me, he knows what he's doing. He and Thor pilot Old Glory, remember?" he reminds him and Loki rolls his eyes.  
"Alright, just so you're ready the next time we're deployed."

>>>>

There isn't much commotion when they come back, just congratulatory pats on the shoulder and a few grins from Thor and Clint. It's all calm within a little while and Tony trudges back towards his shared quarters with Steve. He's tired, as he usually is after a drift, but stops just short of his own quarters. Loki's door is cracked open, so Tony pushes it a little to open it. Loki's propped up on his bed, engrossed in a novel that he has in his fingers. His hair is down, unlike it usually is when it's up during drifts. 

Tony breathes in through his nose, allows his eyes to drift over him. Long limbs, pale skin, green eyes. Everything about him screams God. He's handsome. No, he's downright _sexy_. He forces the thoughts down with a swallow and he clears his throat, stirring Loki from his book. Green eyes meet his own and Loki almost scowls at him, but sets his book aside. Well, that means he's welcomed, generally. Maybe not.  
"Uh.. Hey. I decided to drop you a visit," Tony says slowly and Loki huffs, sitting up.

"Wow, sunshine. Didn't know you were that excited to see me," Tony snorts, taking a seat beside him on the bed. Loki rolls his eyes, eyeing him out of the corner of his eye.  
"No, really. What's it going to take to get you out of your shell. I'd like to have a conversation without sassy comebacks for once," he jokes and Loki just shrugs, a hint of a smile on his lips. Ah, there's some progress. Just a little more-  
"I'm not sure. Maybe I'll talk more if you weren't so incessantly egotistical," Loki responds, jokingly of course.

"I don't think I can do anything about that," he says, grinning at the man beside him. Loki snorts, cracking a tiny smile that cracks his facade.  
"See? Is it that hard to smile and warm up a bit?" he asks, his smile consuming his face. Loki just waves his hand, though the smile on his face doesn't fade.  
"Alright, Stark, alright. I get it," Loki chuckles a bit and Tony just beams.  
"I think we'll be great friends."  
"Don't push it, Stark."


End file.
